News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

New clues in Germanwings investigation

German police have seized possessions from the homes of Andreas Lubitz – the co-pilot who apparently flew a Germanwings airliner into the French Alps - killing all 150 people on board. Investigators say they found evidence that Lubitz was hiding details of an existing illness from his employers. There have been unconfirmed reports in the German media that Lubitz suffered from severe depression. The Germanwings plane crashed on Tuesday during a routine flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. Data from the plane's voice recorder suggest Lubitz deliberately started a descent while the pilot was locked out of the cockpit. Alan Posener from Die Welt newspaper was asked about Germany’s reaction to the news: “Well obviously it’s still incredible shock because on Wednesday we were talking about a terrible accident (but) yesterday and this morning it’s become clear that a terrible mass murder. If you will – the worst mass murder German has seen since the War.”

Austrian Airlines tightens safety

Austrian Airlines looks set to join several other international carriers who have now pledged to change their rules to ensure at least two crew members are present in the cockpit at all times.

Saudi Arabia continues airstrikes against rebels

Saudi Arabia and its allies have carried out a second wave of airstrikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa against Houthi rebels in control of the city. Houthi targets in the south of the country were also bombarded. Yemen Foreign Minister, Riad Yassin, says he hopes the airstrikes will end very soon: “If they can complete their mission in the coming few days or few hours, it will be stopped. It’s a short, sharp campaign which really we have been forced to request.” Meanwhile Yemen's President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, has arrived in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh.

Appeal verdict in Amanda Knox case

Italy’s highest court is set to decide today whether it should uphold the convictions of the American student Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. They were convicted of the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher – in a case that’s attracted huge media interest. The pair were acquitted on appeal but then convicted again last year in a retrial. After her acquittal Knox returned to the United States and if her second conviction is upheld, prosecutors will demand her extradition back to Italy.

Power outage knocks out Schipol Airport

All flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport were cancelled this morning following a major power outage in the Dutch capital. Power has since been restored.

The weather

Remaining cloudy but the snow and rain will taper off in most parts. Highs today are ranging from 4 to 13 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny in the west and south. Changeable elsewhere. Sunday will be sunny in the south and cloudy and rainy in the rest of the country -with milder temperatures.

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